Posted on 01/31/2014 6:38:35 AM PST by Second Amendment First
If you receive a call on your cellphone preceded by just one or two rings, chances are it’s part of the new One Ring phone scam spreading across the U.S. faster than a summer wildfire.
Here’s how it works: International scammers have programmed computers to blast out millions of calls to cellphone numbers, ring once or twice, then disconnect. The objective is to make you curious enough to dial that number back.
The “gotcha” happens when you return the call. You’ll be charged $19.95 for the international call fee itself and $9 per minute thereafter. “Oftentimes consumers say they hear music and then advertising, so they think nothing of staying on the phone. It’s easy to see how quickly charges for these international calls can add up," said Shelley Polansky, vice president of communications for Better Business Bureau Serving Northern Colorado and Wyoming
Consumers who have been duped by these calls report calls coming from Dominican Republic (809), Jamaica (876), British Virgin Islands (284), Grenada (473) as well as Minnesota and Canadian area codes.
If you think you’ve are a victim of the One Ring scam, you should immediately alert your phone carrier and keep an eye on your cellphone bill. If you have not already done so, opt out of all third-party billing to your phone.
Is it really a crime?
Especially under whatever crazy laws of the country they are located in?
Bump
The NSA knows who these people are. Send the Predator Drones after them.
Ive gotten a one ring twice in the past 2 nights on our landline, just after midnite
wonder if it’s the same scam?
bookmark
Why MORE government intervention???? Seems to me there are several steps I can do that are effective without government intervention!
I got several of those. I have Apple. The other one I hate is credit card services.
I know you would never fall for this.....Right?
Let me know when the steps you take effectively protect not only yourself but the elderly and the less than brilliant and kids.
Until then enjoy your annoying ring/hangups.
Let me know when the steps you take effectively protect not only yourself but the elderly and the less than brilliant and kids.
Until then enjoy your annoying ring/hangups.
I let any call go to voice mail except those in my contact list...and then I might check voice mail every few days...I did NOT get the phone gene.
Why did we need a “do not call” list? There were effective steps we could take, like taking our phone off the hook so nobody could call us. Or just disconnecting the line.
I’ve had recent calls from an area code which is not listed as a valid area code. How do they do that!?
they could flash “FREE $$$$” on the caller ID and I would never be curious enough to call them back.
I only answer calls that are in my directory. It comes up with the name of the person. You’re not in there I don’t answer.
Silverleaf is getting this type of call in the middle of the night.
What effective measures do you have for Silverleaf, that still enable them to get important calls in the middle of the night?
I’m going to wait on hold on my Jitterbug phone till all the ads run out of time.
Is this a different Do Not Call list from a few years ago? The old one no longer works.
You would think that our government with all it’s NSA snoopynish could crack down on this type of crime with ease and actually do “We the People” a service.
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